Lux longs to know…As a woman, I find that when I wash my “sweet spot” with regular soap, it stings and burns. I wanted to know what ingredients in regular soap cause this sensation. I’ve been using Cetaphil, which I haven’t had any problems with, but I’d like to find something that I can use all over my body. There is a new company Sweetspot Labs, which makes products exclusively for a woman’s “sweet spot.” I’m wondering what makes their cleansing products different from the regular body soaps on the market? I’m trying to decide whether they are worth the expense.
The Right Brain sweetly responds:
Soap and certain detergents (like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate which is in Cetaphil) work fine when you’re shampooing your hair or washing your hands, but they can cause irritation if they come in contact with senstive areas like your eyes or your “sweet spot.” (It has to do with the way certain surfactants affect cell membranes.) Anyway, that’s one of the reasons baby shampoos are used for children – they use cleansing agents that are not irritating, and won’t sting their eyes. The same is true for “sweet spots,” detergents may cause stinging or burning. The acidity of the product can also be an important factor in a cleanser. (We wrote about this in a previous post on vaginal pH where we talked about Sweetspot’s Balancing Mist – but pH was not as much of an issue for that kind of product).
So, what about Sweetspot’s Cleanser? Well, we don’t buy everything they have to say – they talk about delivering humectants from a rinse off wash product which is not very feasible and and they don’t disclose exactly which surfactants they’re using which makes it difficult to know the potential mildness of their product. Nonetheless, it seems like a reasonable option if you’re experiencing stringing or burning from conventional soaps and body washes.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
There are many surfactants that are milder than soap or SLS. If Sweetspot has formulated their product properly, it should be better than using soap and it should solve your stinging problem. If it works, then you can decide if it’s worth the money.
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Could someone use baby products for that specific area?
I am not familiar with the brand mentioned in the article but there are lots of brands of “feminine wash” products (including Summer’s Eve and even store brands) which solve the soap-irritation problem.
I was just going to bring up what Robyn mentioned. Why order something when you can just go to WalMart and get something like Summer’s Eve or Vagisil wash for a lot cheaper?
I was able to find the ingredient list on their website.
http://www.sweetspotlabs.com/?rm=launch_pop&a=pop_gentle_nav&b=pop_gentle&c=ingredients
Hopefully that helps you to tell if it is a better product.
Lux says she doesn’t want to have to use a separate product for the sweet spot, she wants to use one product for all over that won’t irritate her. I think Cristine’s idea is a good one, because there are baby body washes that don’t use the irritating detergents or surfactants. And, they would be affordable.
Well, you can use Summer’s Eve and Vagisil on your entire body, I’ve even used them as bubble bath. I just usually use Dove for the rest of me because it comes in a much bigger bottle.
…. Alright, I have to say something here.
It’s called a vagina or genitalia if your feeling a bit more technical. I don’t see the need to give our sexual organs cute little vague nicknames. In regards to the soap dilemma.. Just purchase some soap that is less harsh. I’ve never experienced this stinging issue but I tend to use Burt’s Bees or Dr. Bronner’s soaps. I would say that if you avoid major commercial soaps and look alittle more carefully for things that lack those harsh cleaning/lathering detergents then you should be fine.
I’ve always heard you’re not meant to use soap on your lady parts anyway, just a quick rinse with warm water.
I use medicated soap (dettol or sapoderm) and I’ve never had any problems. I’d try using a less harsh soap, like Dove or something specifically for sensitive skin before I paid big bucks for a feminine cleanser.
Sweet Spot, vag’, lily pad, hoo hoo and what not. Who cares if you give it a cutesy name? It’s yours, right? I like the baby shampoo idea too.
It’s obnoxious when these companies do it because it’s insulting to consumers’ intelligence. I don’t get why they feel the need to pander to the lowest common denominators. However, I think the Brains were doing it in the blog entry just to play along with the company’s wording.
The medical meaning of vagina is the birth canal, an internal organ. If you are talking about the ladyparts that you would wash in the shower, that’s called the vulva. But I have noticed that it’s pretty common to use the word vagina to refer to both the vagina and the vulva. As for the nicknames for sex organs (female and male) : I think some people have a lot of affection for those body parts, more so than for other parts such as elbows.
Personally, I’m a bit icked out by strangers (like an intimate cleanser manufacturer) giving my parts pet names, but I don’t see euphemisms as inherently problematic. If it helps people feel less embarrassed, so be it. But yes, I was raised to use the word “vulva” for the parts you see externally. And I was never taught there’s any inherent problem with plain soap and water for cleansing, provided you rinse very well, although some people may be more sensitive than others. I do think there would be stinging for most people if the soap were to contact the actual vaginal (internal) mucosa, rather than just the external parts.
Some people are just uncomfortable with certain terms. My mom still calls my vulva and all that my “wee-wee” and I’ll be 34 soon. If I use “vulva” and “vagina” she’ll get upset.
She also gets upset when I use “feces” and “urine” instead of cutesy names.
Wow, Jami–her anxiety about such topics is impressive:)
What can I say? She thinks “Do you have to poop?” is more polite then “Do you have to make a bowel movement?”
You’re not supposed to use soap on your “sweet spot” just rinse with water, it’s largely self cleaning.